Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the Jayaprakash Narayan Library in New Delhi on July 11, 2026. The library, dedicated to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, features a collection of over 32,000 physical books and provides access to one crore free e-books through its e-library facility.
The facility includes dedicated research facilities, a modern multi-purpose auditorium, contemporary reading areas, a children's zone, research centre, and offers free Wi-Fi throughout the premises. The library is equipped with a state-of-the-art RFID-based book management system and will be connected to the National Digital Library of India through the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) system. Several monitors have been installed to enable visitors to take notes, download material, and develop ideas while studying.
During the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta, Delhi Government Minister Shri Parvesh Verma, Chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Shri Keshav Chandra, and other dignitaries, Shah emphasized the importance of libraries in nation-building. He stated that a nation's future is shaped by young people gathering in libraries rather than by agriculture, markets, or industry alone. The Home Minister shared that his parliamentary constituency of Gandhinagar has established libraries in almost every village, each housing 3,000-4,000 books, connected to a central library with over 1.25 lakh books and supported by four mobile library vans.
Shah urged the Delhi Government to integrate all libraries across the city and connect them with schools to create a richer and more accessible library ecosystem. He specifically appealed to the staff of the Jayaprakash Narayan Public Library to reach out to all schools in the ten Assembly constituencies surrounding New Delhi and motivate young people to visit. The Home Minister also emphasized the importance of reading works by Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' to understand India's soul, culture, self-respect, and struggles.
The library inauguration also served to commemorate Jayaprakash Narayan's legacy, noting his opposition to the Emergency, his leadership of the student movements in Bihar and Gujarat, and his historic call for "Sampoorna Kranti" from Gandhi Maidan in Bihar. The event highlighted how during the Emergency, when opposition leaders were imprisoned and newspapers were censored, the slogan "Jai Prakash" became a beacon of hope, eventually leading to the then Prime Minister's defeat from Rae Bareli in the 1977 general elections.